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Background Bariatric surgical operations continue to be performed in high numbers nationally, thus it is important to identify factors associated with post-surgical complications. This study aims to identify preoperative risk factors associated with bariatric surgery mortality. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database to determine the strength of association between pre-operative exposures and 30-day mortality following bariatric surgery. A total of 701,265 primary bariatric operations were registered between the years of 2015 and 2017, consisting of sleeve gastrectomy (SG), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), adjustable gastric band (AGB), and duodenal switch (DS) Results From the 701,265 surgeries registered in the database, 636,286 had complete data points for the variables of interest and therefore were included in this analysis. The mean age of the cohort was 45.01 (SD= 11.96) years, mean BMI was 45.54 kg/m2 (SD=7.72), and 80.07% were female. Overall 30-day mortality was 0.10% (n=629). The association between the following preoperative variables and mortality within 30 days of bariatric surgery was not statistically significant: hyperlipidemia, history of pulmonary embolism, oxygen dependence, obstructive sleep apnea and history of venous stasis. Smoking status (AOR=1.38), insulin dependent diabetes (AOR=1.37) and the use of more than 3 hypertensive medications (AOR=1.30) were weakly associated with postoperative mortality (p Conclusion Bariatric surgery continues to be safe. Many factors that have traditionally been thought to contribute to mortality, such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and oxygen dependence may have little impact. Other variables such as previous heart surgery, functional dependency status and COPD may play a bigger role in adverse outcomes. While these associations do not determine causality, understanding the strength of them can guide physicians on preoperative risk assessment and care.

BackgroundIn the surgical management of gastric carcinoma, regional lymphatic spread is of prognostic importance. The fifth edition of the Union Internacional Contra la Cancrum classification has been shown to be reproducible, practical and of significant prognostic use. The tumour node metastasis (TNM) system requires at least 15 lymph nodes to be acquired and examined for staging to be accurate. This has raised concern over the consistency with which the requisite numbers of nodes would be acquired. This study was performed to assess how consistently surgically managed cases of gastric cancer in the West Midlands fulfilled this requirement to allow accurate staging.MethodsData from the West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit on all cases of gastric cancer registered from 1998 to 1999 were obtained and the number of lymph nodes documented for each surgically managed case was assessed.ResultsOverall, only 31.0 per cent of surgically resected cases could be assessed accurately according to the TNM system. The proportion staged accurately varied widely across hospitals from 10·9 to 76·0 per cent.ConclusionThese results reflect the need for improved N staging across the region to aid the appropriate multimodal treatment of patients.

Background Screening by serology for Helicobacter pylori in young dyspeptic patients has been shown to be effective in reducing demand for endoscopy. H. pylori has been implicated in the causation of gastric cancer and the reported seropositivity rate in patients with gastric cancer ranges from 69 to 94 per cent. The aim of this study was to assess the potential value of Helicobacter antibodies as a method of selecting dyspeptic patients over the age of 45 years for endoscopy. Methods A retrospective comparison of the antibody status to H. pylori was made between 154 patients with gastric cancer and a sex- and date of birth-matched dyspeptic control group. Results from the former group were correlated with demographic data and tumour characteristics. Results Significantly more patients with gastric cancer were seropositive than controls (77 versus 66 per cent). H. pylori was not related to the Laurén classification of the tumour. Tumour site was significant: body and antrum tumours were associated with Helicobacter whereas cardial tumours appeared to be unrelated. Conclusion Screening by antibody assays to H. pylori would miss more than 30 per cent of current gastric cancers. The increasing incidence of cardial cancer would cause this percentage to rise in the future.

Ninety-five patients have been referred for the assessment and treatment of faecal incontinence. Incontinence was associated with previous anal trauma in 49 cases: 13 occurred after vaginal delivery, 32 were associated with anal operations and in 4 severe perineal trauma occurred after road accidents. Other causes were: idiopathic incontinence in 18, persistent incontinence despite successful rectopexy for prolapse in 10, diabetic neuropathy in 5 and in 13 the cause was not identified. Conservative treatment by control of diarrhoea, physiotherapy or electrical therapy was often successful in patients with minor incontinence. Fifty-six patients have been treated surgically. Complete continence was achieved in 67 per cent of patients treated by postanal repair and in 61 per cent by sphincter reconstruction. We believe that postanal repair is the treatment of choice for idiopathic incontinence and incontinence after rectopexy or anal dilatation. Sphincter repair should only be performed with a covering colostomy and is the treatment of choice for recent or long standing division of the external sphincter ring.

In a multicentre study, 824 patients with operable rectal cancer were randomized to receive surgery alone, surgery plus a single fraction of 500 rad (5 Gy) and surgery plus 2000 rad (20 Gy) in 10 equal daily, i.e. multiple, fractions. The ratio of abdominoperineal excision to anterior restorative operations was 3:1. There was no evidence of an increased morbidity or mortality following irradiation. The multiple fraction 2000 rad group had tumours which were significantly smaller than those of the other groups. There was also a reduction in the Dukes' C cases in the multiple fraction group. Neither the tumour size nor the lymph node status was altered in the single fraction group.

Acute gastrointestinal complications developed in 31 of 472 patients following aortic aneurysmectomy (6·6 per cent). In order of frequency these were: ischaemic intestine in nine patients, mechanical or paralytic ileus in eight patients, peptic ulceration in seven patients, undiagnosed gastrointestinal bleeding in five patients and paraprosthetic fistula in two patients. The risk of developing peptic ulcer complications was not significantly increased in patients with a previous history of peptic ulcer disease. The risk of developing an ischaemic intestine was increased if the distal limb of a prosthesis was anastomosed directly to the external iliac artery. The associated mortality was high and 21 (67·7 per cent) patients died. 33·3 per cent of the mortality occurring with elective aneurysm resection was associated with gastrointestinal complications.

Between 1957 and 1981, 31716 cases of gastric cancer were registered in the West Midlands, UK. The age-standardized incidence has shown a decrease from 17·42 per 100000 population during the first quinquennium to 15·30 per 100000 in the last. There was an apparent increase in the proportion of proximal lesions with a decrease in the proportion of distal, antral cancers. The stage of disease at diagnosis remained constant with 79 per cent of patients having stage IV disease. Less than 1 per cent presented with stage I disease. As a result, the curative resection rate was 21 per cent. The operative mortality rates for curative partial gastrectomy and total gastrectomy were 13 and 29 per cent respectively. Surgeons undertaking more than nine total gastrectomies annually had an overall mean operative mortality rate of 22 per cent. Overall age-adjusted survival at 5 years was 5 per cent. Survival at 5 years for stage I, II and III disease was 72, 32 and 10 per cent respectively. There was a significant increase in survival time for those treated by curative resection between 1972 and 1981 compared with the previous decade. The implications for the management of gastric cancer are discussed.

A review of 198 ruptured aortic aneurysms has been undertaken, this being 36–3 per cent of all the aneurysms treated during the period 1960–81. The overall mortality rate was 42·9 per cent. The peroperative mortality was 6·6 per cent and the mortality of the patients who survived the operation was 38·9 per cent. Factors which influenced postoperative mortality were the age of the patient, the distance travelled to hospital, the presence of an intraperitoneal bleed, the duration of the operative procedure and the volume of blood transfused, but only the amount of blood transfused had a statistically significant influence on mortality. However, as the highest mortality associated with any of these risk factors was 54·9 per cent, no single factor alone can be considered a contra-indication to operation. As there are no reliable predictive factors, we believe that all cases with clinically ruptured aortic aneurysms should have a laparotomy and resection. The most common postoperative complications were varying degrees of renal and respiratory insufficiency and the occurrence of these was significantly associated with the volume of blood transfused.

The Large Bowel Cancer Project is a collaborative prospective study of 4228 patients with a histologically proven adenocarcinoma, of whom 2336 (55 per cent) survived a ‘curative’ resection. Follow-up information is available on 2220 patients (95 per cent). Subsequently, 309 (14 per cent) have developed a local recurrence confirmed by: biopsy (127; 41 per cent), clinical examination (77; 25 per cent), X-ray (15; 5 per cent), a raised CEA (2; 1 per cent), or some other method — e.g. CT scan or a confident unbiopsied laparotomy finding (88; 29 per cent). Statistically significant factors (χ2 test, P Dukes' classification: A 4 per cent; B 13 per cent; C 18 per cent Tumour differentiation: Well 11 per cent; Moderate 14 per cent; Poor 21 per cent Obstruction: Absent 13 per cent; Present 21 per cent Perforation: Absent 13 per cent; Present 28 per cent Tumour mobility: Freely mobile 11 per cent; Others 21 per cent Operation performed (rectal and rectosigmoid tumours): Abdomino-perineal 12 per cent; Anterior resection 18 per cent; Surgeon (Consultant only): Range < 5 per cent to > 20 per cent. Stratification of the above variables altered only the statistical significance pertaining to tumour differentiation (P < 0·1, d.f. = 2). In particular, the differences between Consultant surgeons remained.

Modifications of Dukes' (1932) classification of rectal tumours have led to confusion. From the data of 2518 patients who had undergone curative colorectal surgery the interrelationships between tumour penetration, grade, vascular invasion and pattern of lymph node involvement have been examined and their individual relevance to survival determined. Subdivision of Dukes' A cases into those confined to the muscularis mucosae (A) and those penetrating into, but not through, the bowel wall (B1) should be abandoned. Despite interrelationships between lymph node status, grade of tumour and vascular invasion, they all contribute prognostic information independent of each other. Apical lymph node involvement, more than four lymph nodes involved and extensive primary tumours with nodal involvement all carry a bad prognosis. Although interrelated each variable is individually relevant. However, subgroups of patients with Dukes' C tumours have an observed survival significantly better than expected. When few lymph nodes are involved or the primary tumour is confined to the bowel wall but lymph nodes are involved, the expectation of life is equivalent to Dukes' B.

To demonstrate any difference in outcome between patients with carcinoma at various sites within the large bowel, analysis of a large number of patients is necessary. From the Large Bowel Cancer Project, 4292 patients have been evaluated to compare mode of presentation, surgical management, pathological findings and outcome. Carcinoma at the splenic flexure was associated with the highest risk of obstruction (49 per cent); postoperative cardiopulmonary complications (36 per cent); in-hospital mortality (18 per cent); and the lowest age-adjusted 5-year survival (28 per cent), even after curative resection (38 per cent). This survival disadvantage was seen even in those without obstruction. Further, it was not accounted for by differences in age, sex, Dukes' stage or tumour differentiation between the various sites as stratification by these variables failed to alter significance (log rank χ2 = 11·1; d.f. = 4; P < 0·05). Compared with carcinoma of the left colon and rectum, tumours in the right colon were more likely to be poorly differentiated and locally advanced (in terms of fixation and penetration of the bowel wall) but were not associated with a higher risk of either distant spread at presentation or local recurrence. Age-adjusted 5-year survival following curative surgery was higher for the right colon (65 per cent) than the left (59 per cent).

Gastric partitioning is undertaken for morbid obesity but the mechanism by which weight loss is achieved is unclear. The effect of partitioning on gastric emptying has therefore been studied. In thirty patients with a mean weight of 124.6 ± 7.3 kg (± s.e.m.), a stapling technique was used to create a 50 cm3 upper gastric reservoir which communicated via a 10 mm stoma with the distal stomach. Twenty-four pre-operative and nineteen postoperative gastric emptying studies were performed using separate 50cm3 solid and liquid 113mIn-labelled meals. The time taken to achieve 50 per cent gastric emptying and the delay in isotope reaching the duodenum were measured from gamma camera images. There was no correlation between the pre-operative weight of the patients and their gastric emptying rates. The median 50 per cent gastric emptying time for solids was increased from 21 min (range 8–34) to 37.5 min (range 8–60) (P

Of 388 patients with carcinoma of the large bowel, 90 presented with obstruction, In this group 50 patients (56 per cent) were treated by a curative resection, 22 by primary resection and 28 by staged resection. The prognosis was considerably better after primary resection than after staged resection. Crude 5-year survival figures are 50 and 25 per cent respectively. It is concluded that a prospective trial of immediate resection in the management of obstructing large bowel cancer seems justified.